Hello everyone and welcome to my blog :-)
After a typical Alentejo lunch (accompanied by a beautiful Alentejo wine), which left us sleepier than expected, we decided to venture to the Serpa castle. The heat was suffocating, the kind of heat that seemed to make any movement heavier and slower. Walking to the castle, even if only a short distance away, seemed like a difficult task, and so we took advantage of every shadow we found on the way, to catch our breath and gain the courage and willingness to continue.
PT
Depois de um almoço típico alentejano (acompanhado de um belo vinho também ele alentejano), que nos deixou mais sonolentos do que o previsto, decidimos aventurar-nos pelo castelo de Serpa. O calor era sufocante, o tipo de calor que parecia tornar qualquer movimento mais pesado e lento. Caminhar até ao castelo, mesmo que a uma curta distância, parecia uma tarefa dura, e por isso aproveitávamos cada sombra que encontrávamos no caminho, para recuperar o fôlego e ganhar coragem e vontade para seguir.
The climb up the narrow streets and sidewalks, surrounded by whitewashed houses, made the contrast with the deep blue sky more evident. There were almost no tourists in sight, it was as if I had gone back in time, entering a space almost exclusive to those who live there, and some of them passed by us, greeting us with a nod and a quick smile. I exchanged a few words with an elderly man, who told us that, in other times, the castle had been the scene of many stories and battles, but now he just watched in silence as the days went by.
PT
A subida pelas ruas estreitas e calcetadas, rodeadas por casas caiadas de branco, tornava o contraste com o azul profundo do céu mais evidente. Quase não havia turistas à vista, era como se tivesse recuado no tempo, entrando num espaço quase exclusivo de quem lá mora, sendo que alguns deles passavam por nós, cumprimentando-nos com um aceno de cabeça e um sorriso rápido. Troquei algumas palavras com um senhor já de alguma idade, que nos disse que, em outros tempos, o castelo tinha sido palco de muitas histórias e batalhas, mas que agora só observava em silêncio o passar dos dias.
As we approached the castle, we could already see part of its towers and robust walls, made of stone, marked by time. The walls, which once defended the city from invaders, now seemed like lonely sentinels, witnessing the slow passing of the years. Serpa Castle was built by Muslims in the 11th century, and was later reconquered by D. Afonso Henriques during the Christian Reconquest, passing through several hands over the centuries. Today, it retains a silent grandeur, as if it holds within itself all the stories that took place there.
PT
À medida que nos aproximávamos do castelo, já conseguíamos ver parte das suas torres e muralhas robustas, feitas de pedra, marcadas pelo tempo. As muralhas, que no passado defendiam a cidade de invasores, agora pareciam sentinelas solitárias, testemunhando o passar lento dos anos. O Castelo de Serpa foi construído pelos muçulmanos no século XI , sendo mais tarde, reconquistado por D. Afonso Henriques durante a Reconquista Cristã, passando por várias mãos ao longo dos séculos. Atualmente, conserva uma imponência silenciosa, como se guardasse dentro de si todas as histórias que ali se passaram.
Passing through the imposing Porta de Beja, one of the main entrances to the castle, I felt enveloped by the history that flowed from that place. The view from the top was stunning, allowing you to see the extensive Alentejo countryside, golden by the sun. Up there, the heat seemed even more intense. The feeling of dryness made us look for a new shade, perhaps a tree or one of the arches that offered a little rest.
PT
Passando pela imponente Porta de Beja, uma das entradas principais do castelo, senti-me envolvida pela história que brotava daquele lugar. A vista de cima era deslumbrante, permitindo ver o extenso campo alentejano, dourado pelo sol. Lá em cima, o calor parecia ainda mais intenso. A sensação de secura fazia-nos procurar uma nova sombra, talvez uma árvore ou uma das arcadas que davam um pouco de descanso.
We explored the interior of the castle calmly, stopping frequently. The walls that surround the enclosure offer a kind of refuge from direct sunlight, and the towers, even if partially destroyed, gave an idea of the grandeur of the fortification in its glory days. I imagined the warriors who, many centuries ago, would have guarded those same towers, alert to any sign of danger on the horizon. Now, the only sound was the gentle wind or the birds.
There was a small stone bench, in the shade of one of the few trees inside the enclosure, and I let myself stay there for a while. Surprisingly, tourism was almost non-existent that afternoon, which gave me an opportunity to connect with the past without the usual rush of tourist visits. I stood there, in silence, observing the walls that were once the city's last line of defense.
PT
Explorámos o interior do castelo com calma, parando frequentemente. As muralhas que rodeiam o recinto oferecem uma espécie de refúgio contra a luz direta do sol, e as torres, mesmo que parcialmente destruídas, davam uma ideia da grandiosidade da fortificação nos seus dias de glória. Imaginei os guerreiros que, há muitos séculos, terão guardado aquelas mesmas torres, alerta a qualquer sinal de perigo no horizonte. Agora, o único som era o vento suave ou os passarinhos.
Existia um pequeno banco de pedra, à sombra de uma das poucas árvores dentro do recinto, e deixei-me ficar ali por uns momentos. Supreendentemente o turismo foi quase inexistente naquela tarde, o que me deu uma oportunidade de me conectar com o passado sem a pressa habitual das visitas turísticas. Fiquei ali, em silêncio, a observar as muralhas que uma vez foram a última linha de defesa da cidade.
When we decided it was time to turn back, we began the descent slowly, returning along the same streets we came from. The sun was still hot, and we went back to looking for the shadows that the few trees and houses offered.
PT
Quando decidimos que era hora de regressar, começámos a descida lentamente, voltando pelas mesmas ruas por onde tínhamos vindo. O sol continuava quente, e voltámos a procurar as sombras que as poucas árvores e casas ofereciam.
I hope you enjoyed.
See you around.
Wishing you much peace and health
Those who pass by us do not go alone. They leave a bit of themselves, taking a piece of us."
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince.
Congratulations, your post has been added to the TravelFeed Map! 🎉🥳🌴
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
- Go to TravelFeed Map
- Click the create pin button
- Drag the marker to where your post should be. Zoom in if needed or use the search bar (top right).
- Copy and paste the generated code in your post (any Hive frontend)
- Or login with Hive Keychain or Hivesigner and click "create post" to post to Hive directly from TravelFeed
- Congrats, your post is now on the map!
PS: You can import your previous Pinmapple posts to the TravelFeed map.Opt Out
Congratulations, your post has been added to WorldMapPin! 🎉
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
Impressive photo where the rock is on top of a residential mural, it leads me to think that it was built under a ruin?
Hello @chuitocastle. Really cool right? This is the shaky ruin of the Keep, deeply damaged by a gunpowder explosion in the 18th century but which never fell to the ground. Thanks for stopping by 😊
Hiya, @ybanezkim26 here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Travel Digest #2347.
Your post has been manually curated by the @worldmappin team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!
Become part of our travel community:
Thank U :-)
You are very welcome @onyfest! it was well deserved. ☀️
Keep up the great work 💪
It is really clear that the view is extraordinary, I am very entertained seeing it🥰
Hello @suarlex!! Glad you like it😊 Thank you for stopping by :-)
Hola. Muy interesante su post. Todo detalladamente descrito. Gracias por compartir. Saludos
Hola @reneyasmany! Obrigada por ter passado por aqui 😊
Congratulations @onyfest! You received the biggest smile and some love from TravelFeed! Keep up the amazing blog. 😍 Your post was also chosen as top pick of the day and is now featured on the TravelFeed front page.
Thanks for using TravelFeed!
@for91days (TravelFeed team)
PS: Did you know that we have our own Hive frontend at TravelFeed.com? For your next travel post, log in to TravelFeed with Hive Keychain or Hivesigner and take advantage of our exclusive features for travel bloggers.
!PIZZA